Harrods: it’s a bastion of all things glam and gaudy, it’s a byword for luxury, a palace of possibility for princes and their spend-thrift mistresses. What it isn’t is an unit in an out-of-town shopping mall. Or at least, it wasn’t until just now when they announced a branch is opening in Westfield. Which is… a bit weird.

The place where the Queen Mother used to come for kegs of Dubonnet and where Knightsbridge’s kajillionaires stock up on Gucci frying pans, or whatever, Harrods has always held a certain mystique. Whether it was Mohamed Al Fayad and his 100% tasteless Diana and Dodi shrine or the unmistakeable sky blue Lambos perma-parked by the main entrance and belonging to the Qatari royals who currently own the gaff, Harrod’s exudes money (if not actual class).

But now they’re set for pastures new alongside Claire’s Accessories and Ann Summers. How far the mighty have fallen?

Harrods has announced that to spare the store from raucous bargain-hunters scrapping for the last branded teddy bear when their famous summer sale comes rolling round, they’ll be taking up residence in a two storey 80,000 square foot former Debenhams in Shepherd’s Bush.

Ostensibly a response to COVID-19, the alternative lodgings will allow for 3-metre wide aisles and social distancing galore, while the regular Knightsbridge store will continue to ply its trade in Birkin Bags and diamond necklaces. Might this be part of a grander scheme? Raising the spectre that this could be a more long-term affair, Harrods Managing Director Michael Ward told Business of Fashion “We will have to see how this works out as we go towards Christmas, because obviously we will be faced with the same issue in January”.

The transition from the Old Brompton Road will come as a shock for their well heeled clients, it seems unlikely that many punters are going to be met off their Lear Jet straight from Saudi and demand their chauffeur heads directly to Shey-Boo. It hardly has the same cachet. And maybe that’s the point?

Harrods has seemingly had a PR problem since the ’90s, when Al Fayed’s unique ‘taste’, questionable management style plus accusing Prince Philip of masterminding a bizarre MI6-backed plot to murder the People’s Princess all combined to exorcise what was left of the old school aristos for whom Harrod’s was an institution.

While the great-and-the-good fell back in love with Bond Street, Fortnum & Mason or Selfridge’s, Harrods chose to Stretch Armstrong themselves between being both a theme park for tourists, who couldn’t possibly buy more than a souvenir keyring, and a one-stop boutique for the billionaire class who would think nothing of loading up on exotic pets, polo paraphernalia and a Sunseeker yacht all in one spree.

This corporate Jekyll and Hyde-ing has long made little actual sense, leaving the once-great brand feeling a bit like Burberry back when every self-respecting football hooligan had their tartan printed across a shell suit. Burberry managed to rescue their brand thanks to the inspiring leadership of Angela Ahrendts and Christopher Bailey, so is it possible that Harrods management is hoping to use this as an opportunity to ship out all the tat and the low-end clientele to Westfield in an effort to start to clean up the brand?

Or in opening a branch in Westfield are they just confirming the demise of a once-great marque? Watch this space, and see you in Westfield for some bargains!

Want to receive more great articles like this every day? Join our daily email now